Bright Eyed Daughters happy with new home for bench

Paul Kelly

Townsfolk are invited to take the weight off their feet after a park bench found a new home away from home.

It was back in 2014 that the bench was placed at the Hornshole memorial site to mark the 500th anniversary of the famous battle, courtesy of a gift from the town’s Bright Eyed Daughters voluntary group. But as the increasing number of monuments were placed at the site it was felt the bench had become rather “crowded out”.

It was decided to find an alternative location for the bench and the Bright Eyed Daughters sought the advice of councillors Watson McAteer and Stuart Marshall. After consultations with the park keeper at Wilton Lodge Park, it was agreed to relocate it there.

Caroline Wilkinson, president of the group, said: “It just wasn’t looking right at Hornshole as it was getting rather crowded out by the monuments, particularly the 1514 Club’s Return to Hornshole. There was talk of putting it on the other side of the bridge at the Riverside Walk, but we couldn’t get confirmation from the landowner. We put it in storage and now it’s in a nice location in the park, where new paving will be installed.”